Churches in the Middle East (or at least one small part of it)

On October 6, @Politifact reported that the Rev. Franklin Graham spoke falsely when he said "In most Muslim countries, 'We can't have a church. We're not able to build synagogues. It's forbidden.'"

I didn't watch "This Week" on ABC that week, or any other, because I don't live in the United States. I live and work in a Muslim country. If Mr. Graham spoke those words, which Politifact claim are false, I would like to offer another perspective.

I am aware of 7 Christian churches in my city of several million people. Three of the churches are attended almost entirely by expats, though nationals would be welcomed if they could speak English well enough to feel comfortable during the service. One of the other churches, those four who are serving primarily national believers, has a long, checkered past with the local gov't. Anything that the church wants to do is suddenly illegal or impossible or impractical in the eyes of the officials. In past years, the pressure has been more overt; right now, it's pretty passive.

My own church has been legally approved for 20 years. In fact, we are celebrating our anniversary this month. All the documentation necessary to hold services in our rented, remodeled apartment building were given to us in order that the Americans, Asians, and Europeans would have a house of worship. We've outgrown our space, and would like to build a new building on our own land.

Sounds like it should be easy to do: just ask the gov't for approval and do it. After all, my church is legal. Here's where Mr. Graham is more correct than @Politifact gives credit. Churches in my country can only be built on land designated for religious use. When a plot is found that is designated, and we ask for permission to buy it, a mosque is announced on just that plot of land. And yes, you read that right: we must ask for permission to buy land. We are foreigners after all. Land ownership is not often permitted, these days. Two strikes against us before we even begin to negotiate a purchase price; discussions never get that far. Simply getting permission to post a cross on top of a building with a documented history as a Christian church causes a great deal of local tension and garners a good bit of national press.

What about those churches where national believers worship and serve? Even though they can legally own land as citizens of this country, the permission to build a church is so difficult to obtain that it is for all intents and purposes impossible. That's why groups meet in stores, restaurants, and homes; if the neighbors complain, though, the church (and maybe the hosts) will need a new home.

A particular local municipality might be more favorable toward Christian believers and Christian churches, so permissions to build a church in that area might come more easily. After all, there is freedom of religion here according to the law. In theory, it is allowed to build a church. In reality, it's very easily forbidden. And of course, we don't actually need a church building to worship Christ together. With a ratio of one Christian church to every 4 or 5 MILLION citizens, there's not much time to spare fighting for mere buildings. More important work must be done.